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I
really didnÂ’t know where to start with this article as
I didnÂ’t really have a clue what Poi was all about, other
than it involved fire, looked pretty and was very cool!
Luckily
I got in touch with Tom Roberts, a 17 year old who has been
spinning Poi for over a year now. He told me all about Poi,
where you can see it, and how you can get started – but
tells me not to make it sound too cool...
So,
what is Poi all about?
Tom
tells me he doesnÂ’t know much about the history of Poi
but that he knows it was originally an ancient form of dance,
used by the Maori people of New Zealand.
He
says Poi are either strings or chains with weights attached
at one end and finger loops at the other. All you have to
do is slip your fingers into the loops and swing the weights
in circles.
IÂ’m
told itÂ’s similar to the hammer throw in athletics, only
it's obviously not as heavy and you have two - one for each
hand. Also, very importantly you don't let go!
There
are also many variations in Poi construction. For example,
the Poi that Tom enjoys spinning are made of metal chains
with kevlar wicks attached as weights. The kevlar soaks up
fuel such as paraffin, so that the wicks can then be set on
fire. When twirled, the flaming Poi leave lovely hot tails
of fire behind them, so you can literally draw fiery circles
in mid air!
Starting
Points
Obviously,
you donÂ’t start at this Point. There are beginnerÂ’s
options - which are safer options to prevent any fire related
disasters – which people such as myself would be prone
to! At the most basic level are sock Poi. Tom tells me you
can make these at home by cutting a pair of tights in two
and stuffing one tennis ball into the toe of each to act as
weights. Then, you take the other ends in each hand and twirl
away!
Later
options include practise Poi which have fabric tails to imitate
the fire Poi effect. Another type is beaming Poi which have
high power bright LEDs in them - brilliant for raves.
TomÂ’s
experience
Tom
found out about Poi from Glastonbury festival last year (2003).
He was sitting up in the stone circle field in the early hours
of the morning, wondering what all the fiery circles were.
He went and joined a small crowd that had gathered around
a fire Poi performer, and was just amazed at how cool and
calm he looked and how much fun he seemed to be having. Tom
was in awe of the tricks he performed and how he had the audience
in his power! From that moment, Tom had ambition to come back
to the festival and have his very own crowd watching his own
performance.
Throughout
the year Tom practised and practised with Poi heÂ’d bought
off the internet, beginning with practise Poi, moving to glow
Poi and then finally to fire Poi when he felt confident enough.
Luckily
Tom managed to get a ticket to this year's festival and pulled
a nice crowd with his fire Poi. He says:
"It
was definitely one of this year's highlights. When you spin
fire, all you can hear is the roar of the flames, all you
can see is blackness outside of your fiery circles - everything
else just disappears and all you can smell is burning. ItÂ’s
a brilliant form of escapism."
He
also tells me that itÂ’s really relaxing when you learn
to trust yourself with the fire – however, I can’t
even light a match because IÂ’m so scared of fire, so
IÂ’m not too sure if IÂ’ll be trying it out!
Benefits
Poi
is extremely beneficial in today's stressful environment.
It keeps you fit, builds up muscles, helps co-ordination and
dexterity. Tom says everything else disappears when you're
twirling Poi:
"Its
incredibly fulfilling to learn a new trick that you've been
practising for hours."
However,
he warns it can be a very painful hobby if you do not respect
your Poi, so be careful and work your way up gradually. Don't
play with fuels – it’s not worth it. The only safe
fuel is Kerosene or Paraffin because it doesnÂ’t explode
as easily. You must also be clued up on all health and safety
matters before you attempt fire Poi.
He
tells me the best place to look is on the Internet where thereÂ’s
an almost infinite amount of tricks out there to learn. I
also know that Poi spinning goes on at The Warehouse gym in
Gloucester – so it might be good to ask in there.
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content
of external websites
If
you have suggestions about any Gloucestershire arty things
I can write about, send them to me via e-mail below:
gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
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